Heavy Friends
Saturday May 31st, 2025 with Heavy Ben
Electronic Sounds From Canada Part 15 - Kara-Lis Coverdale

"somewhere between computer music and Erik Satie" Today we delve into the ethereal, intricate world of one of the most compelling voices in contemporary experimental music — Kara-Lis Coverdale. Coverdale is a classically trained pianist and composer whose work effortlessly bridges centuries of musical tradition with the bleeding edge of digital sound design. Hailing from rural Ontario, Coverdale earned an MA in musicology and composition, then moved to Montréal. With a background in sacred music and years spent as a church organist and music director at several churches across Canada, she brings a rare depth and discipline to her compositions, layering ghostly harmonics, processed vocals, and otherworldly textures that challenge the very notions of electronic and acoustic, classical and contemporary, the secular and the non-secular. K-LC's mother is an Estonian visual and choral artist, her father is a builder, and her great uncle Ike Volkov is part of the Estonian folk group Kukkerpillid. She has earned praise from Estonian composer of contemporary classical music Arvo Pärt (she also appears in the documentary "That Pärt Feeling" by Paul Hegeman) and Brian Eno. She is one of the only artists to open a solo show for Death Grips, and I saw her open for Caribou in Ottawa a few years ago. Through her critically acclaimed solo albums like Aftertouch and Grafts, Coverdale has established herself as a singular force in modern composition — cerebral, spiritual, and always evocative. Her fascinating collaborations include three albums with fellow Canadian Tim Hecker, the Floating Points Promises Ensemble with Shabaka Hutchings, the Konoyo Gagaku Ensemble with Japanese musicians, Actress, How To Dress Well, and Caterina Barbieri. https://www.kara-liscoverdale.com/ https://kara-liscoverdale.bandcamp.com/music https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kara-Lis_Coverdale https://www.discogs.com/artist/3480419-Kara-Lis-Coverdale https://pitchfork.com/artists/34390-kara-lis-coverdale/ Music Is A Replication: An Interview With Kara-Lis Coverdale https://thequietus.com/interviews/kara-lis-coverdale-mutek-festival-interview/ Kara-Lis Coverdale talks scores, organs and voices | Red Bull Music Academy (85m interview) https://youtu.be/ddoo6gtOQdQ (to embiggen the show icon, right-click and choose "Open image in new tab")